Dallas Cowboys Blog

George: More than ever, Cowboys are Tony Romo’s team

Here is a sample of Cowboys beat writer Brandon George’s story on quarterback Tony Romo and his growing leadership role with the team.

Eager to get back in the saddle: Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has basically been given the next three days off, but he’s so revved up about this season that he would rather be on the practice field at 8 a.m. Wednesday under the intense July sun. That’s part of Romo being the leader of the Cowboys, a role he hasn’t always been comfortable with but has embraced more and more over the last year.

Connecting with Dez: Romo took another step forward in his leadership journey last week, when he reached out to Dez Bryant after the receiver’s arrest in DeSoto on a family violence charge. Reaching out to Bryant follows a recent pattern for Romo. He’s more willing to put his neck on the line and doesn’t hide from criticism.

Man in charge: Last summer, Romo emailed players to organize and direct workouts when the coaches weren’t allowed contact because of the NFL lockout. These days, Romo is in the face of more players than ever before. He’s more vocal, on and off the field.

Best yet to come? When Romo looks at his teammates’ faces in the offensive huddle this season, he’ll be the old man of the group at the young age of 32. This is Romo’s team now more than ever. “I think my best years are ahead of me,” Romo said, “and that’s exciting.”